


the stars don’t change and neither do we

by castielfalls



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Movies)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-20
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2019-07-14 17:27:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16045154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/castielfalls/pseuds/castielfalls
Summary: thor fell in love a long time ago, but then the boy went missing and thor's never fallen ever again. years later, he hears of the human who saved the galaxy.





	1. 1: Thirteen - Big Star

I.

The joke was that the stars didn't need to be lorded over by anyone, even though they occupied a huge part of spacial territory. Clint makes a passing comment that it isn't a very funny joke, Tony defends himself by saying it wasn't meant to be funny to begin with. Joke or not, Thor isn't listening. He's distracted by two particular words in Tony's so-called joke, 'star' and 'lorded'.

"What, you think there's some kind of _star_ _lord_ out there, king of the constellations?" Tony rolls his eyes. "What use would the stars have for a king? Or, you know, what use would a king have for the stars? Nothing."

They're seated in a Shawarma place, just after defeating the Chitauri and Loki. The only reason why Tony's even allowed to get away with making such a lame joke is because he's the one who nuked the Chitauri. He's earned his right to that God-awful joke. Steve, Clint and Natasha get into conversation about something Thor can't bring himself to care about and he eats in silence, pondering over "star lord".

He'd known someone once who'd gone by that name, though no, he'd never touched the stars and he sure as hell didn't rule them, but he was still Star-Lord. He didn't so much rule space as much as he reminded Thor of it. He held the galaxies within his eyes, which made no sense because his eyes were green, but it did and Thor didn't argue.

"You alright there, Pointbreak?" Tony asks, snapping his fingers in front of Thor's face. Thor snaps out his thoughts, realising the other Avengers are staring at him.

Steve asks, "Is there something wrong?"

Bruce complains, rubbing his face tiredly, "Don't tell me this fight isn't over."

"Everything is fine, Man of Iron," Thor answers briskly, resuming eating his Shawarma. It's not even half bad. He wonders if his Star-Lord has tried Shawarma, and if he liked it. If he'd like to have it with him sometime. If he'd ever see him again.

“What’s with that jacket, by the way? Doesn’t go with your whole ‘weareth your mother’s drapes’ thing,” Tony says sassily.

Thor glances down at the familiar leather, running a hand down one of the sleeves, “It belonged to someone I once knew well.”

Clint tips his chin as if he knows, “Dead?”

Thor shrugs in answer, “I know not how he presently is.”

Bruce furrows his eyebrows in confusion, “Why don’t you know that?”

“We fought together once, that makes us allies, not friends. I think you are pushing your boundaries, Midgardian,” Thor answers coldly and Bruce shuts up, returning to his Shawarma.

II.

Because there's nothing to do, because he's curious about Earth, because Loki's being a pain in the ass, Thor decides to go outside. It's bright out, the sun making everything look ten times more radiant and all the more beautiful. It's nothing like Asgard, obviously, in all their rainbow bridges and gold-plated everything, but it's beautiful anyway.

His parents are away for the day for duties, leaving him and Loki alone at home. Loki is being more annoying than usual, irritating him with his talk about the Tesseract. It'd been found a long time ago by Odin, and Loki has had a fascination with the shiny blue cube ever since Odin brought it home. Thor decides to leave Loki at the house and explore the neighbourhood, knowing Loki can take care of himself and doesn't mind being left alone.

The first person he sees is his neighbour. She's blonde, young and gorgeous, an apron tied around her body as she stares at the boy walking up to the front porch in concern. He has a red jacket on — quite oversized, if Thor's honest. It looks like it should fit his father more than himself, but Thor can tell the boy wears it with pride regardless. The boy's face is bruised, his knuckles red and his jeans dirty, clearly he's been in a fight. Even with the purple and red blooming on his cheeks and around one of his green eyes, Thor knows the boy is pretty. It's a special type of pretty, one he never gets tired of. Even now, years from then, he still thinks the boy is probably just as pretty presently as he was before.

The mother asks, taking off the light pink apron as she tosses it aside, opening her arms to embrace the boy, "Your _face_. What happened, Peter?"

"They killed a frog that ain't done nothing," Peter answers. His face is firm and his tone is defiant, challenging the world to rally against his avenging of an innocent amphibian. Thor's gaze fixates on Peter, who rolls up the long sleeves a little bit as his mother blinks before she laughs, pulling Peter into a hug. Thor has never seen someone be the human embodiment of thunder until now. With a face as beautiful as the sights in Asgard, a heart with intentions purer than anything, Thor falls. Peter strikes him so powerfully and intensely that he can't be denied, and Thor falls.

With a white picket fence between their front yards, before Thor realises he's been watching Peter for longer than he should, when Peter glances over and blue eyes meet green, Thor falls. Peter is just like the thunder and lightning Thor had grown familiar with, hitting Thor so strikingly that Thor knows in that moment that he's never getting up ever again.

Peter's mother, who Thor learns is named Meredith, notices Peter staring at Thor and she walks him over, beaming as she greets, "Hi! You're the new neighbours, right? I'm Meredith Quill, this is my son Peter. You are?" Thor realises now, he barely even remembers how Meredith looks like because his attention is fixated on Peter throughout the conversation.

He introduces himself and lists off his family, saying to Peter, "You're welcome at our place any time you desire." Meredith laughs, amused at Thor's fancy grammar for a kid who looks ten. Peter doesn't, but he smiles like he knows something, like he knows Thor isn't from here. He smiles like he knows Thor doesn't belong on Earth, but belongs right here in Missouri, in the house next to his. How Peter conveys it all with a single grin, Thor can never understand, but he gets it all from Peter's smile and he can't help but return the delight.

Over the next year, while Odin and Frigga spent most of their time far from home, Loki and Thor spent their time at the Quill household. Peter had amazing mixtapes that he played for them, full of music from the 70's. The walls have no trace of a father figure, however, and Thor's heart aches for his friend. It never dampened the mood, however, for it was clear that Peter detested his father and his mother never spoke of him around the Odinson boys.

The visits decreased significantly when Meredith Quill got cancer. Peter stopped smiling and he never called. It was up to Thor to start most of their conversations and even then, they were mostly one-sided. Peter was always too tired or too upset to talk about anything. Thor made a playlist for him, but even now he isn’t sure if the boy has listened to it or if he liked it. When the news of Meredith’s passing came, Frigga suggested that the Odinson boys leave him alone for a few days to mourn before checking on him. They obeyed, albeit reluctantly, and when Thor visited a day later, Peter was gone. No trace of him anywhere. It’s clear he didn’t run away — none of his things were missing — but he was still gone, no note left for Thor.

Thor was heartbroken, but he knew his family was going to return to Asgard soon and he wouldn’t be permitted to stay here. He tried to get his mother to make a missing persons report for Peter when he didn’t return after three days, when the Odinsons were leaving. His mother said no, and that was that.

Asgard didn’t feel as grand as it used to when Thor had no idea where Peter disappeared off to. Was he dead? Did he run away? Did he think of him from time to time? Thor didn’t have any answers. All he had was Peter’s red jacket, which he’d left behind. Thor never stopped wearing it. Years passed and Thor eventually grew into it. The only time he never wore it was when he had royal duties. He even traded in having his cape for Peter’s forgotten trademark jacket. He never wears it to the hardest battles, however, because he doesn’t want to get it dirty or torn. It’s all he has left of Peter and even now, it still smells just like him.

III.

After the Shawarma with the Avengers, they let Thor return to Asgard with the Tesseract and Loki. He bids them goodbye — Tony makes him a device to communicate across the galaxy in case one or the other ever needed help. Thor accepts the device and leaves for home, where the Tesseract is returned to its rightful place.

Brunnhilde, the leader of the Valkyries, catches up to him and Loki upon their arrival and asks Thor, bottle in hand, “Did you hear?”

Loki looks at her in interest and Thor raises an eyebrow at that and she clarifies, “I take it you didn’t, then. There was a Midgardian who held an Infinity Stone, your majesty.”

Thor stops walking then. He doesn’t know how or why, but that familiar feeling he felt the first time he saw Peter, it hits him just as Brunnhilde says that.

He asks, “Are you sure it was a Midgardian?”

Brunnhilde shrugs, “All who have talked about it say so. I believe it.”

Loki pipes up, “I’ve heard the rumours. They say a Midgardian and a few others held one, but it was mainly the Midgardian. Nearly destroyed himself holding it. Some witnesses say his body was tearing itself apart but he wouldn’t let go because he wanted to save everyone.” He stares at Thor and wants to make a teasing gesture, opting for a mocking smirk instead when he remembers his hands are cuffed, and asks, “Reminds us of someone, doesn’t it?”

Thor almost drops the shackles of Loki’s cuffs and Brunnhilde gives him a strange look, “Are you okay?”

He nods slowly, slightly overwhelmed, “Yes, fine. I need a minute alone with Loki, please.” She obliges, leaving them alone in the chamber as she falls into step with another Valkyrie, and Thor turns to his brother to ask, “Are you certain it was him?”

“I wouldn’t lie,” Loki responds. It earns him a pointed look from Thor and he shrugs, “Okay, you’re right, I would. Not about him and the Infinity Stones. He held one and then him and his friends are gone, I know not where. But he is out there, brother. Whatever you plan to do about that...“

Peter Quill held an Infinity Stone. Peter Quill is out there somewhere. Peter Quill is _alive_. The love of Thor’s life saved the fucking galaxy.

Thor pulls the jacket tighter around himself and Loki doesn’t say anything. It’s out of his place.


	2. 2: Hooked On a Feeling - Blue Swede

I.

_We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto._ Or more accurately, Missouri. Or, you know what? Earth, for that matter.

It wasn't that Peter meant to leave Thor without any word on where he's going, it was just that he didn't have much choice anyway. A bunch of weird looking people captured him and although he put up a fight, he was still a child and was still too weak. They called themselves the Ravagers, a bunch of space people who stole things. Maybe to keep, maybe to resell. Some liked to call themselves businessmen. Peter called them crooks.

Yondu Udonta was one of the main guns, being the one to abduct Peter in the first place made him the most significant one in Peter's life. He often threatened to eat him, which scared the living shit out of Peter. They normally didn't deal in children but for some reason, Yondu was insistent in keeping him around. None of the other Ravagers complained (too much, anyway) about it so nothing was done with his extended stay in the Ravagers' custody. Just because nobody complained didn't mean nobody was opposed to it, and that included Peter, who just really wanted to go home, go back to the only person he has left: Thor.

One time, Peter got his hands on a ship that he now knows as the Milano. He'd learnt how to fly it, Yondu had taught him. He hopped onto one of the driver's seats and put his hands on the steering wheel.

Then he just sat there. He put some music on, _Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)_ came on. And then he started to cry.

He missed his mom. Thor. And Loki too, even if the boy was a bit too shy for a kid as loud as himself. He missed Missouri. But he couldn't bring himself to set this ship's course back to Earth, because he didn't want to live on an Earth without Meredith Quill.

So he stayed. Became a Ravager, stole things for them because he was a skinny little kid and could fit in places the other Ravagers couldn't. Thor could wait. He _has_ to wait. He _would_ wait for him, right?  He would put up with these strange aliens and get strong enough to finally have the will to come home, and when he does, Thor would be waiting for him.

Who is he kidding? He knows he won’t be there. Thor could be anywhere by now. The military, the streets, someone else’s apartment, another country…

He’s not actually in any of those places, though. Peter knows that. He’s always known that, ever since he saw that boy with the messy blonde hair and crystal blue eyes staring at him from across the white picket fences in Missouri. There was something about Thor that was simply out of this world, metaphorically and literally. He remembered his mother telling him all about the spaceman she fell in love with and had him with, and he can only wonder if he himself had fallen for a spaceman as well.

Alas, it’s been over ten years since that afternoon in their front yards when Peter saved a frog and Thor saw him first. The houses probably have new tenants, Peter is across the galaxy and Thor is still not there with him.

II.

" _I'm hooked on a feeling!_ " Peter sings, face exaggerating expressions. Gamora rolls her eyes, crossing her arms as she watches Peter and Rocket navigate the Milano. " _I'm high on believin', that you're in love with me!_ "

"I'll run this ship into the next fucking planet we see if you keep that up," Rocket growls, tapping a few buttons on the control board. Carol Danvers laughs, the holographic image of her sitting in an otherwise empty seat next to Gamora. She's dressed in a hoodie that resembles her superhero uniform and she looks as beautiful as she always has. 

She asks, " _So_ that's _the song Peter's been obsessed with all week?_ Hooked On a Feeling. _It's not that bad, Rocket. It's actually pretty good._ " 

Peter laughs in victory while Rocket shouts, "Don't encourage him!"

"Anyway, how are you? I've been singing that for way too long," Peter grins, lowering the volume of the song. 

Carol answers, " _It's been great. Not much has been going on. I think I'm gonna come meet you guys soon, we haven't seen each other in such a long time. Great job on the whole thing with Ronan, by the way. You guys are amazing._ ” Peter’s grin falls slightly but Carol doesn’t notice. 

Gamora smiles at her words, “Thank you, Carol. That would be wonderful. Just tell us whenever you arrive. We will welcome you.” Carol thanks her sincerely before the line drops, probably due to her getting ready to go to them.

Drax questions, “Quill, what’s with the face of unhappiness?” 

Rocket gives him a strange look, “Face of unhappiness? Think ya meant ‘long face’.” 

Drax asks, stares at Rocket, “Why would I ask that? Quill’s face is still ugly, but it is still the same height and width.” 

Rocket groans loudly, not even bothering to explain, and Peter answers, “I’m fine. It’s whatever.”

“What is it?” Gamora asks. “You don’t look fine, Peter.”

“Just… I mean, we saved the galaxy. That’s got to count for something, right?” Peter starts. 

Gamora narrows her eyes at him, “Hasn’t it? The Nova Corps protect us and all our past crimes have been forgotten and forgiven. Is it not enough for you?” 

Peter presses his lips together, staring at a passing star, “It _is_. It just doesn’t feel… recognized.” 

Rocket snorts sarcastically, “What’re you expectin’, a parade in our honor? You’re pushin’ your luck, Star-Munch.” 

Peter rolls his eyes, “I’m not responding to Star-Munch.”

“Were you hoping to be recognized by someone in particular?” Gamora asks, hitting the nail right on the head. 

Peter blinks, caught off-guard by the accurate guess, before he just shrugs, lying, “I don’t know.” 

Drax nods in agreement, “I am sure that is the reason. Who did you want to know of our victory, Quill?” 

Peter doesn’t know if he wants to answer the question because he knows if he says it out loud, it’s only going to make it real. He’s never going to stop thinking if he’s been recognized by him until he gets an answer.

“Some guy I knew when I was a kid. I liked him a lot,” he finally answers. “His name’s Thor.”

“Doesn’t sound like just ‘some guy’ to me,” Rocket remarks.

Peter sighs, “He was never just some guy.”

III.

Thor had a mission: Find Peter Quill. Or Star-Lord, as he was apparently professionally known as. Thor was kind of happy to hear that. He knew how much that nickname meant to Peter. He probably loved being called that all the time. Loki was willing to help, much to Thor's surprise. Perhaps he wants to find Peter for his own selfish purposes, but it isn't like Thor doesn't have his reasons to look for the man either. Besides, Peter was Loki’s friend too. He decides to accept Loki's help and then throw him back in prison after Peter is found.

Right now, he's in an Asgardian ship, the only people onboard are him, Loki and Brunnhilde, who'd volunteered to come along solely because she was bored of staying in Asgard. Plus, it was her duty to protect the royal family, that includes following them on their search party.

“Do you even have any idea where to begin looking?” Loki asks, looking bored out of his mind. Thor ignores his manners, he knows Loki is equally curious as to where Peter is. 

He shakes his head, “You’re the one who’s heard of him. Where do you suspect he’ll be?” 

Brunnhilde takes a swig from her bottle before suggesting, “You could try Sakaar. Someone who saw him and his allies said they saw a Ravager badge on him. They could be wrong. But if they’re right, Sakaar is home to people who don’t belong, maybe Sakaar would be a place they would visit.” 

Thor nods, accepting the suggestion, and Loki sighs, “If he’s a Ravager, perhaps you should try some Ravager hotspots, brother.” 

Thor frowns, “I doubt he’ll be there. He’s never been one for that kind of thing.”

“You forget. It’s been at least eighteen years since we’ve seen him last, dear brother.”

And Loki’s right. It’s been eighteen years since Peter Quill was an eight year old boy who fought a couple kids over hurting a frog. It’s been eighteen years since Thor was a kid on Midgard’s very own Missouri. It’s been eighteen years since they were them. Now they’re… them, just _different_. Thor has no clue where Peter likes to hang out in fucking _space_. He could be anywhere.

“My apologies, your majesty, but we do need to set a course,” Brunnhilde finally says.

“We’ll try Sakaar.”


	3. 3: I Want to Hold Your Hand - The Beatles

 

I.

Since Carol couldn't leave Sakaar, Peter decided that the Guardians should bring the party to her instead. The current reigning champion of the gladiator matches at Sakaar is Carol, who'd volunteered purely for fun and enjoyed the occasional fighting as part of training. Sometimes, when the Guardians were free, they would visit Sakaar and cheer for her when it was her turn to fight.

They park the Milano in the Grandmaster's exclusive hangar. Since they're good friends of the champion and the Grandmaster loves their company, they were given a place to store their ship while they passed the time in Sakaar. Peter loves the hangar, mainly because of all the ships he and Rocket can steal parts from.

Gamora's attention falls onto a redheaded woman in the crowd and Peter notices, nudging her, "She looks pretty hot. Why don't you go talk to her?" 

Gamora glares at him and says, "Mind your own business, Peter." 

Peter widens his eyes, raising his hands in mock-defense, "Chill, girl. Just saying, may be the only time you're gonna see that lady." 

Gamora glances back at the woman again before she asks, "Then what will you be doing in the meantime?"

"I'm gonna take Rocket scrap-diving. You know we do that every time we come here," Peter answers. Gamora rolls her eyes as if they're childish, but waves them off anyway. 

Drax reminds them, "Danvers' match begins in half an hour." 

Peter rolls his eyes, nodding, "Time passes differently here, doesn't it? Any time we arrive, we'll probably be _early_. Come on, Rocket. Let's go."

II.

Thor, Loki and Brunnhilde land in the middle of a landfill full of scraps. Brunnhilde immediately leaves to see the Sakaar gladiator fight, and Thor makes a mental note about the Valkyries doing what they're supposed to do. Loki abandons him almost instantly, thinking it a good idea to get to earning the favour of the big man of the planet — the Grandmaster. _Maybe he knows something about your dear Peter Quill, brother._ This leaves Thor alone to navigate through the scrap piles and to the main part of the planet.

He decides to hang around the scrap to see if there's anything that could be a clue as to where Peter has gone. Perhaps one of his guns ended up here or possibly a forgotten Ravager badge in the rubble. There's at least half an hour to the gladiator match starting anyway, as Loki had mentioned earlier, so he's just going to waste some time away here. Loki really wants him to see the match, saying that the Grandmaster claims that the champion has a few friends who Thor 'should rather like'. Thor doubts Peter is the reigning champion of the Sakaarian gladiator matches. As much as Peter is strong, strong enough to hold an Infinity Stone and not die, he really doubts Peter can fight all these aliens and win against all of them. He loses interest in attending the match, but he decides to go later to get Loki.

He doesn't find much, unfortunately. He does dig up a battery that looks a bit too valuable for a scrap pile, but that's about where his luck ends. He's about to leave for the match when he hears electricity coursing through the air, throwing him to the ground into a spasm as it wraps around him.

The strange alien laughs at him from above him. He's ugly, Thor can tell that much from what little he can see through the burning agony of electrocution and the holes in the net. He vaguely hears others behind the main alien chanting "food" repeatedly and he desperately tries to escape the net, pain making him forget about Mjölnir.

He really should have a talk with Brunnhilde about her responsibilities.

III.

"Think this will be good?" Peter asks, tossing a device to Rocket. 

Rocket looks it over and nods approvingly, shoving it into his small bag, "Could fix it up to be able to repair ship damages. Good find, Quill."

While Rocket sifts through the metal pile to find something else to upgrade the Milano with, Peter explores the landfill, hoping he could find a better weapon than the elemental gun he has to add to his arsenal. He leaves Rocket alone, and then he hears some noise that he follows.

It's a bunch of hunters, trying to capture someone for food. Normally, Peter wouldn't care and would probably just leave the guy to be eaten. Wrong time, wrong place and definitely not Peter's problem. But just a glimpse of long blonde hair and a red jacket makes Peter rethink his choice of leaving it alone. He recognizes the man's face the moment he sees it and he activates his mask, charging up his gun as he leaps into action, blasting the hunters away. They try to fight him, but they're useless against Peter's gun. They end up leaving the man alone in the electrocuting net, in Peter's company.

Peter deactivates the electrocution aspect of the net, though he doesn't withdraw his mask while the man recovers. He's got a beard now, his eyes are even prettier and his hair still has the same tinge of gold. And that jacket. The same one Peter had left on Earth years ago.

_Thor Odinson, right in front of him again._

Thor kicks the net off him and struggles to his feet, trying to come back to his senses again. You would think that the God of Thunder could withstand a little electrocution. _Nope_. He dusts off the jacket, glad to see it's still in good condition and not absolutely fried, before he hears the voice of the person that saved him.

"Trying to steal my look, huh?"

Thor's head snaps up at the sound of the voice. It's deeper than when he was a kid, and his accent is slightly off, but it's him. He turns around and sees a peculiar mask with blonde hair. The coat is made of the same red Thor's jacket is. 

He can only manage a name, "Peter?" The stranger presses a button that withdraws the mask back, revealing gorgeous green eyes and a pretty smile that still undeniably rivals the sights in Asgard.

_Peter Quill._

"Hey Thor, long time no see."

IV.

The Grandmaster's giant holographic image is projected in the middle of the Arena, announcing, "Please welcome our beloved champion, Captain Marvel!"

To Thor's surprise, Peter skips the audience seats and heads straight for the box seats, where the Grandmaster usually watches the matches. Thor questions, "Are we not going to watch?"

Peter smiles back at him, continuing to navigate up to the Grandmaster's place, "We are. We're friends of Cap Marvel and the Grandmaster likes us, so we usually watch with him up there." Thor realizes that Loki was right, the champion really did have some friends he'd like to meet. Peter may not have been the champion, but he was a friend. He also realizes that it really has been a long time. He knows almost nothing about Peter now, and yet he's still scrambling after his attention now that he has it again.

Rocket shoves Thor's leg with his arm and complains, "Thought gods were supposed to be fast. Can't you move a little faster?" Thor hurries after that, falling into step with Peter.

Thor starts, "I heard you held an Infinity Stone and lived."

Peter perks up at that, "You heard?" He pauses at his excitement and tries again, pulling a prideful face, "Of course I did."

Thor laughs at that, putting an arm around Peter and pulling him close as he says, "I'm very proud of you. Not many Midgardians can do that."

Peter asks, "Midgard, huh? I'm guessing that's what you call Earth. What have you been up to?"

Thor answers, "I have been on Midgard with a few of their mightiest heroes to battle the Chitauri. Loki unleashed them on your world and wielded the Tesseract to do so. We managed to defeat him."

Peter raises his eyebrows at that, "Loki? Never would've thought that shy little kid could do something like that. Where is he now?"

Thor replies, following Peter down the hallway, "Somewhere on Sakaar. He wanted to help look for you."

Peter questions, "Is that the best idea? I mean, he _did_ do all that..." Thor shrugs, and the conversation is forgotten before Peter starts it up again, “So… my jacket."

Thor blinks before he replies, flustered, "Apologies. Um, you can have it back —"

"Keep it. But I want your cape," Peter answers. Thor is about to ask how he knows he has one, but Peter just rolls his eyes fondly, "You're a god, part of a royal family, apparently. Why wouldn't you have a cape?"

"After all this time, you haven't changed," Thor mumbles.

Peter raises his eyes to the ceiling in thought, pushing open the door, “Hmm… Wouldn't say I 'haven't changed'. You, though? You're the same as when I left."

The Grandmaster turns around and pats the empty space next to him on his long couch and Thor nearly chokes at the sight of Loki sitting on the opposite end of it. The other two Guardians are there. Even the redhead Gamora was interested in earlier is there with her now. With Rocket claiming a space next to the redhead, there’s enough space between Rocket and Grandmaster for Peter and Thor if they squeezed. Neither complain as they take their places. The Grandmaster welcomes Peter and he’s introduced to Thor, the Grandmaster jumping to conclusions, “So this is your boyfriend, Star-Lord?”

Peter laughs, but he doesn’t say no. He doesn’t say yes either, though. He just looks out into the arena, waiting for Carol to come on.


	4. 4: I Want to Break Free - Queen

I.

While Brunnhilde brings Loki back to Asgard for imprisonment, Thor decides to stay with the Guardians for a while before he heads back. Peter seems satisfied with the plan and the other Guardians don't see a point in arguing with the captain, so they accept it and make room for Thor on the Milano. Peter is more than happy to volunteer sharing his room when they realise there's no spares after Carol takes the last one.

"Um, it's okay, I can share with Gamora —" Carol starts, feeling a little awkward about unintentionally taking a room from Thor.

Peter cuts her off, "You don't have to. Thor can room with me."

Carol, Gamora and Rocket exchange weird glances and Carol asks, "Are you sure it's okay?" Peter nods, and that was that.

Thor thinks their ship looks lived-in despite how the team seems to have been together for just a couple months. Already, they know each other's behaviourism and preferences. The redhead girl — Angela, as Thor learns her name to be — that Gamora took interest in fits in just fine. Gamora doesn't specify and nobody asks any questions. It's the same for Thor and Peter, though whether the context is the same is beyond what Thor can decipher. As far as he can tell, Gamora has Angela with her as an ally (Angela proved to be a formidable opponent), bedmate and potential romantic partner. Nobody asks. Peter has Thor with him as a long lost friend? A future ally? Perhaps something even more than that, a potential lover? Thor doesn't have any answers and nobody asks.

(Thor hopes the context is the same.)

II.

Peter's room on the Milano is special.

There's old cassette tapes lying around and a few shirts thrown around the room, as if he'd changed and got lazy about cleaning it up. There's posters of old bands on his walls and a framed photograph of him and his mother on his desk. His red coat now rests on the back of his chair.

"Sorry, it's pretty messy. I didn't think I was gonna bring anyone home today," Peter apologises.

Thor raises an eyebrow, glancing around his quarters, "Home? You reside on this ship?"

Peter nods, sitting down on his bed, "For the past couple years, yeah. But most of my life was spent at Ravager bases with Yondu. A ship isn't ideal, but you know... Whatever's convenient."

"Speaking of convenience, are you sure it's alright for me to..." Thor trails off, pointing at Peter's bed and vaguely around the room.

Peter grins, leaning back against the wall, "Sure, man. Why wouldn't it be? I can steal an extra mattress from a shop later. I would share, but I doubt we can both fit on this tiny bed now. We're all... adult-y and everything."

Sharing beds with Peter isn't something unfamiliar to Thor. Back then, Peter had a bed big enough for two. Loki knew of Thor's crush on Peter — "Are you even trying to hide it, brother? Honestly." — and often opted to take the waterbed and let Thor share the bed with Peter.

"Indeed. But we can try," Thor says cheekily. Peter laughs like it's ridiculous, but he lays down anyway while Thor gets in next to him. There's little to no space between their bodies, but it works. They're close enough that it feels comfortable, that they're sharing body heat in the coldness of the ship. They're close enough to kiss, actually, but Thor tries to ignore it. He stares into Peter's eyes, feeling everything and nothing at the same time. They're still the same green eyes, but it's full of new stories, new adventures, that Thor knows nothing about. _I mean, who the hell is Yondu? Where did any of these people come from? How'd they meet Peter? How'd they hold an Infinity Stone?_ But despite everything, they're still the same green eyes. Despite everything, he's still him, and that's alright.

"How the hell do you still feel the same? You never even had all these muscles before," Peter complains, prodding one of Thor's arms.

Thor laughs, returning the gesture, "You never had these either, Star-Lord." Peter smiles at the use of his nickname before he sits up, standing.

"Here, I'll show you around my ship," Peter grins, excitedly taking Thor's hand. Thor doesn't say anything, just appreciating how Peter's hand feels in his again. It's different from eighteen years ago — his hand is rougher, bigger, more stable than when it trembled with the excitement of an eight-year-old. His own hand is similar, and their fingers still fit perfectly, even with the scars and bruises that cover their skin.

Peter's hand abruptly pulls away and he stares at their separated hands before apologising, "Shit. Sorry, man. Meeting you again after so long... I kinda forgot we aren't eight anymore, I'm sorry if —"

"Peter, it's fine," Thor cuts him off, taking his hand again. "I would be honoured if you would show me around your ship."

III. ~~~~

"Who's that guy?" Carol asks, taking the empty seat next to Angela. "Pretty sure that jacket looks more like something Peter would wear than he would."

Gamora answers, "His name is Thor. Apparently they were good friends in their childhood."

Angela adds on, face expressionless, "If they were not more than good companions, I would be surprised."

Rocket snorts, tending to the Groot fragment in the little pot, "Ah, as if we ever ask. Like what the hell's goin' on with you and that Angela chick anyway?"

Gamora narrows her eyes at Rocket, "None of your business."

Rocket widens his eyes as if she just proved his point, "See? We don't ask, you don't tell. Not that I wanna know about him and his Asgardian boy-toy or anything."

"Sounds a lot like you want to know about them, though," Carol points out. Rocket grunts in reply but doesn't say anything in rebuttal, because she's absolutely right. Rocket _does_ want to know, because honestly, how did a dude like Peter meet a man like Thor? An Asgardian, no less. Those are hard to come by and even then, getting that close to them is near impossible. Especially if you're just a lowly Earther like Peter. Thor has a kingdom to his name, royal blood in his veins and a warrior's body. All Peter has is that dumb (incredible) music, his ship, and a (frankly impressive) track record of alien women (and perhaps men, as the other Guardians suspected) that he's slept with.

But in the end, it doesn’t matter. Their rule is they don’t ask.

IV.

“I have missed seeing you.”

Peter pauses and turns around, seeing that Thor is rifling through his cassette collection in the cockpit. He raises an eyebrow, smiling, “Same here, man. I’m sorry I left.”

Thor waves a hand to reject the apology, “Don’t be sorry. Even if you hadn’t left, I would’ve had to leave a few weeks after anyway.”

Peter nods slowly, “To go back to Asgard, right? You went to Earth to settle business or something... Was I just part of that?”

“No. Never. You were the only part of Earth I liked, actually. Even after we parted ways, I could never forget you,” Thor answers.

Peter grins at that, pretty cockily, “Of course. I am hard to forget.”

Thor laughs, rolling his eyes fondly, “Indeed.”

“Any chance I can come see Asgard?” Peter asks casually. “Ravagers have never even come close to touching it before. It’s the one place I haven’t at least passed by now.”

“You are always welcome in Asgard. My mother thinks of you kindly and my brother takes a liking to you,” Thor replies. He finally stops at a cassette that catches his attention. It’s a little worn out — played many times — but the handwriting on it is clear. He raises it in Peter’s direction, asking in surprise, “You kept it?”

Peter looks at what Thor’s referring to and he nods, “Yup. I played it all the time. When my mom died, she made a second volume. She titled them both Awesome Mix, since you didn’t name yours.” Thor sticks the cassette into the player, and instantly the first song starts playing, causing a grin to grow on Peter’s face, “I really did miss you. Don’t tell anyone, but I played this to remember the time I spent with you. Your note’s still taped to the back and everything.” Thor looks down at the pale yellow paper in his hand, removed when he put the cassette in the player.

_For Star-Lord_

“Peter, I think I should tell you. I—“

“Oi, Star-Bitch. We need to get going if we’re going to make it to the Nova Corps before we have to send Carol back to Sakaar for her match,” Rocket says, causing Thor to wince. Rocket stares between them and asks, “Did I interrupt something?”

Peter shrugs, “Depends on what Thor wanted to tell me.”

Thor hesitates before he sighs, “It’s nothing. Never mind.”


End file.
